First Time Around the Block

Guess what? I finished my first quilt!!!!

I didn't think this would be the first quilt I finished but I was motivated by Pat Sloan's Triangle Challenge. I picked these fabrics up at my Local Quilt Shop. I live in a small town and selection is limited so I buy most of my fabrics online. But these fabrics caught my eye and I kept thinking about them so I went back and here they are. I liked the fabric enough to buy it but it isn't my absolute favorite. I think that was perfect for the first quilt because I was okay with all of the mistakes I made.

I am finding quilting is excellent therapy for perfectionism. I am approaching everything as a learning experience even if I don't get things just the way I want them. I do know that in just a short period of time my skills have gotten better and it is super fun.

Here are some of the things I learned making this quilt:

The awl was so helpful in sewing the binding. It kept the fabric where I needed it to be. So helpful.

I now understand why people have multiple machines. My machine was tied up for the week and I'm too lazy to keep changing the thread and the foot. So I haven't been able to work on anything else. This is actually a benefit in some ways since it motivated me to get things done. But I would like to be able to move between things so I can have more variety. Anyone care to bet on how long it is before I buy a second machine?

Working with fabrics that I liked but didn't love was perfect for a first quilt. I was motivated enough to finish but didn't care too much about mistakes. Great way to start out!

I now know why I don't see too many quilts with backgrounds. Don't get me wrong I love it but oh the lint and cat hair is not going away!!!!

Resources used:

Pat Sloan's Teach Me to Sew Triangles

Cluck Cluck Sew Machine Binding Tutorial